Monday, August 31, 2009

Yesterday we suffered through a hot, muggy softball practice that made K announce that she wanted to switch to dance. After she collapsed into the car, she asked if we could go swimming, so I figured it was the least I could do.

After an hour or so at the pool, the sky clouded over and the temperature dropped. Weird. But it got me thinking and I checked the weather on my iPhone. The high for Monday was forecast to be 69.

69. The high.

On August 31st.

Do you know what you have to do when the high for August 31st is 69?

You make plans to play hooky from the homeschool curriculum and you do something outdoors to take advantage of the unexpected gift of cool weather in August. Duh. That's the whole reason we homeschool.

I charged the camera battery and the girls and I took off for a day trip to the mountains. It was sprinkling for most of the trip, but it was forecast to clear off so we didn't worry about a little rain. We arrived in Blowing Rock and spent some time exploring all the little shops there. Starting next weekend, you won't be able to park anywhere near the small downtown area as the town will be clogged with tourists there to see the beautiful autumn colors. But today, there were only a handful of people wandering around and we could take our time and enjoy ourselves. I found an awesome store called The Brass Exchange that sold home decor elements. I could have easily bought at least one of everything they sold, you know, if I had won the lottery. As it was I restrained myself to buying just one large wrought iron terrarium thing like I've wanted for ages and will be a very versatile piece to use in decorating.

We got back in the car and headed further north through Boone and down some scenic byways. It was beautiful--overcast, foggy, deep colors. We got onto the Blue Ridge Parkway to go back up to Blowing Rock and get a few pictures from the overlooks. Unfortunately, the fog had thickened up there and we couldn't see anything but a white wall wherever we looked. It was a different way of experiencing the parkway.

Back in Blowing Rock, the girls played at the park and I took pictures of the beautiful flowers...and the girls of course. We spent some more time walking around time and exploring the neat boutiques and amazing landscaping all over town. When it became evident that the girls were getting tired and cranky, it was time to head home and we were back by dinner.

Have I ever mentioned that I love living so close to the mountains? I love that we can just take leisurely day trips to enjoy the cooler weather and the beautiful vistas spread out before us. Just in case you aren't lucky enough to live so close, here's a few pictures to show you what you're missing.

We LOVE Blowing Rock! I am hoping you had some Kilwins while sitting on the park benches overlooking Main Street. That and playing at the park is a favorite way to spend an afternoon. Oh, and the library~ so quaint and it has an awesome children's area! Did I mention that we LOVE Blowing Rock????

Oh and did you know there's a Brass Exchange on Selwyn Ave. You can get those great deals a little closer to home, too! :)